(א) וַיַּגֵּ֤ד אַחְאָב֙ לְאִיזֶ֔בֶל אֵ֛ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה אֵלִיָּ֑הוּ וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָרַ֛ג אֶת־כָּל־הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים בֶּחָֽרֶב׃
(ב) וַתִּשְׁלַ֤ח אִיזֶ֙בֶל֙ מַלְאָ֔ךְ אֶל־אֵלִיָּ֖הוּ לֵאמֹ֑ר כֹּֽה־יַעֲשׂ֤וּן אֱלֹהִים֙ וְכֹ֣ה יוֹסִפ֔וּן כִּֽי־כָעֵ֤ת מָחָר֙ אָשִׂ֣ים אֶֽת־נַפְשְׁךָ֔ כְּנֶ֖פֶשׁ אַחַ֥ד מֵהֶֽם׃
(ג) וַיַּ֗רְא וַיָּ֙קָם֙ וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ אֶל־נַפְשׁ֔וֹ וַיָּבֹ֕א בְּאֵ֥ר שֶׁ֖בַע אֲשֶׁ֣ר לִֽיהוּדָ֑ה וַיַּנַּ֥ח אֶֽת־נַעֲר֖וֹ שָֽׁם׃
(ד) וְהֽוּא־הָלַ֤ךְ בַּמִּדְבָּר֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ י֔וֹם וַיָּבֹ֕א וַיֵּ֕שֶׁב תַּ֖חַת רֹ֣תֶם אחת [אֶחָ֑ד] וַיִּשְׁאַ֤ל אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ֙ לָמ֔וּת וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ׀ רַ֗ב עַתָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ קַ֣ח נַפְשִׁ֔י כִּֽי־לֹא־ט֥וֹב אָנֹכִ֖י מֵאֲבֹתָֽי׃
(1) And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and about he had killed all the (false) prophets with his sword,
(2) And Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “Thus and more may the gods do if by this time tomorrow I have not made your life like the lives of one of them.”
(3) And he was frightened and he got up and he fled for his life. And he came to Beersheva, which is in Judah, and left his servant there;
(4) And he, himself, went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush and sat down under it, and he asked for his life, that he might die. And he said, “Too much! Now, O YKWK, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
1. How did Elijah get to this point? What role does fear play? What other emotions might be in play here?
2. We know very little about the personal life of Elijah. He seems to operate alone most of the time. We are not told about him having any sort of family. Why might he bring family into the picture here, comparing himself to his ancestors? How does the knowledge of Elijah's solitude change the meaning of inviting him into your homes for Passover Seder?
3. Elijah journeys for a day, running away from his fear of being put to death. And yet he still ends up at place, so overwhelmed that he asks for death. What can we learn from this?
(ה) וַיִּשְׁכַּב֙ וַיִּישַׁ֔ן תַּ֖חַת רֹ֣תֶם אֶחָ֑ד וְהִנֵּֽה־זֶ֤ה מַלְאָךְ֙ נֹגֵ֣עַ בּ֔וֹ וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ל֖וֹ ק֥וּם אֱכֽוֹל׃
(ו) וַיַּבֵּ֕ט וְהִנֵּ֧ה מְרַאֲשֹׁתָ֛יו עֻגַ֥ת רְצָפִ֖ים וְצַפַּ֣חַת מָ֑יִם וַיֹּ֣אכַל וַיֵּ֔שְׁתְּ וַיָּ֖שָׁב וַיִּשְׁכָּֽב׃
(5) And he lay down and he slept under one broom bush. And behold this! A messenger touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.”
(6) And he looked about, and behold, beside his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and he drank, and he returned and he lay down.
1. We are never told Elijah's age. What age have you been imagining him to be? Is it your own age? How does your understanding of his actions here change if you imagine him as someone much younger than yourself? As much older than yourself?
2. The messenger tells Elijah to "get up and eat." How does this function as a response to Elijah's wish for death? What is the underlying meaning? Does it accomplish what the messenger hoped it would?
3. What is Elijah's response to the miraculous appearance of a messenger and food?
(ז) וַיָּשָׁב֩ מַלְאַ֨ךְ יְהוָ֤ה ׀ שֵׁנִית֙ וַיִּגַּע־בּ֔וֹ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר ק֣וּם אֱכֹ֑ל כִּ֛י רַ֥ב מִמְּךָ֖ הַדָּֽרֶךְ׃
(ח) וַיָּ֖קָם וַיֹּ֣אכַל וַיִּשְׁתֶּ֑ה וַיֵּ֜לֶךְ בְּכֹ֣חַ ׀ הָאֲכִילָ֣ה הַהִ֗יא אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יוֹם֙ וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים לַ֔יְלָה עַ֛ד הַ֥ר הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים חֹרֵֽב׃
(7) The messenger of YKWK returned a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.”
(8) He got up and ate and drank. And he went with the strength from eating for forty days and forty nights as far as the Mountain of Elohim at Horeb.
1. How does the messenger's command this time differ from the command last time? It seems to be more effective. Why might that be the case? Think of a few possible answers.
2. This time, the messenger is specified as a messenger of God. It is the same messenger as in the first episode. Why might we only now be told that the messenger comes from God?
3. Mount Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai, where Moses spent forty days and forty nights. How do their journeys to Mount Sinai compare? Are they similar as people?
(9) And he came there to a cave and he slept there. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him. And He said to him, “What is here for you, Elijah?”
1. Elijah's name is mentioned in verse 9. When was the last time it was mentioned in the text? Why Elijah's name not have been mentioned in the interim? Who speaks Elijah's name?
2. Elijah still seems to be doing a lot of sleeping. Why might he sleep so frequently? Think of a few possible answers.
3. God finally directly replies to Elijah, after Elijah had addressed him back in verse four. How does God's question here function as an answer to Elijah's request in verse four? What do you make of God's question in the framework of talking to a suicidal person?
(10) And he said, "I am zealously zealous to YKWK, the Elohim of Hosts. For the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, destroyed your alter, and killed your prophets. I, alone, myself, remain and they are trying to take my life."
1. Unpack this. What is Elijah trying to say? Break his speech down into parts. How do the parts relate to each other?
2. Where is Elijah now with regards to staying alive? What might have changed to bring him to this place?
3. Think back to Moses. What might Elijah mean by being zealous? Is this a good quality? How might you understand Elijah's solitude differently from this line?
(יא) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר צֵ֣א וְעָמַדְתָּ֣ בָהָר֮ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָה֒ וְהִנֵּ֧ה יְהוָ֣ה עֹבֵ֗ר וְר֣וּחַ גְּדוֹלָ֡ה וְחָזָ֞ק מְפָרֵק֩ הָרִ֨ים וּמְשַׁבֵּ֤ר סְלָעִים֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה לֹ֥א בָר֖וּחַ יְהוָ֑ה וְאַחַ֤ר הָר֨וּחַ רַ֔עַשׁ לֹ֥א בָרַ֖עַשׁ יְהוָֽה׃
(יב) וְאַחַ֤ר הָרַ֙עַשׁ֙ אֵ֔שׁ לֹ֥א בָאֵ֖שׁ יְהוָ֑ה וְאַחַ֣ר הָאֵ֔שׁ ק֖וֹל דְּמָמָ֥ה דַקָּֽה׃
(11) And He said, "Come out and you will stand on the mountain before YKWK." And behold, YKWK is passing by, and a great and strong wind is tearing mountains and breaking rocks before YKWK. Not in the wind was YKWK. And after the wind was a quaking. Not in the quaking was YKWK.
12. And after the quaking a fire. Not in the fire was YKWK. And after the fire, a still, small voice.
1. There is a progression here from wind to quaking to fire to quiet voice. Consider each element metaphorically. What does it make you think of? Have you seen it elsewhere in the Bible? In your life? What might the relationship between the elements here be?
2. How is this episode related to the last? Why might God decide to reveal God's self to Elijah? Is this a test? If so, what might it be intended to convey?
(יג) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ כִּשְׁמֹ֣עַ אֵלִיָּ֗הוּ וַיָּ֤לֶט פָּנָיו֙ בְּאַדַּרְתּ֔וֹ וַיֵּצֵ֕א וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֖ד פֶּ֣תַח הַמְּעָרָ֑ה וְהִנֵּ֤ה אֵלָיו֙ ק֔וֹל וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מַה־לְּךָ֥ פֹ֖ה אֵלִיָּֽהוּ׃
(יד) וַיֹּאמֶר֩ קַנֹּ֨א קִנֵּ֜אתִי לַיהוָ֣ה ׀ אֱלֹהֵ֣י צְבָא֗וֹת כִּֽי־עָזְב֤וּ בְרִֽיתְךָ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתֶ֣יךָ הָרָ֔סוּ וְאֶת־נְבִיאֶ֖יךָ הָרְג֣וּ בֶחָ֑רֶב וָאִוָּתֵ֤ר אֲנִי֙ לְבַדִּ֔י וַיְבַקְשׁ֥וּ אֶת־נַפְשִׁ֖י לְקַחְתָּֽהּ׃ (ס)
(13) And it was when Elijah heard it that he wrapped his face in his cloak and he went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came upon him and said, "What is here for you, Elijah?"
(14) And he said, "I am zealously zealous to YKWK, the Elohim of Hosts. For the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, destroyed your alter, and killed your prophets. I, alone, myself, remain and they are trying to take my life."
1. Imagine staging this. How does Elijah look? What does his voice sound like?
2. Why might God ask the same question a second time? Why might Elijah answer the same response a second time? If Elijah was being tested, do you think he passed?
(טו) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֵלָ֔יו לֵ֛ךְ שׁ֥וּב לְדַרְכְּךָ֖ ... (טז) ... וְאֶת־אֱלִישָׁ֤ע בֶּן־שָׁפָט֙ מֵאָבֵ֣ל מְחוֹלָ֔ה תִּמְשַׁ֥ח לְנָבִ֖יא תַּחְתֶּֽיךָ׃
(15) And YKWK said to him, "Go, return to your way...
(16) and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah to succeed you as prophet.
1. How do you understand God's response here? Why is Elijah told to find himself a replacement?